Dirty Paws
by Zelda Zonkk
Summary: "Eleanor? Gran is dancing on the lawn in her nightie again." Welcome to my life, folks. Dealing with my half-naked Gran, the Marauders and a blossoming new friendship with Sirius Black. Oh, and did I mention a weird black dog that seems to be everywhere I turn? SiriusxOC.
1. Prologue

- Prologue - _  
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_ 1st September, 1976._

"Eleanor? Hey, Eleanor. Wake up. C'mon. Gran is dancing on the lawn in her nightie again."

Welcome to my life, folks. My name is Eleanor Wolf, and this is what I put up with on a daily basis. I suppose I should have been more alarmed by this news than I really was. It didn't surprise me that my Gran was currently scarring the eyes of every neighbour on our street, because it wasn't really all that shocking. I mean, Gran liked to ask the plants whether they would prefer jam or butter on their toast every morning, and one time when I was five she made our postman cry, though we're still not sure what she did to make him do that. I guess this will be considered my very first diary entry, which is highly embarrassing seeing as it involves my Gran in her nightie on our front lawn. Mum says Gran is _eccentric_. Dad says she's just lost her marbles. Then they share a Look that says neither is very happy with the other.

When I was younger, I used to crawl around on my hands and knees searching the house for these 'marbles' to give back to my Gran. I used to think it would make my parents stop their arguing about Gran's alarmingly senile mental state. It didn't. Noah caught me one day, and after I told him what I was trying to do, he laughed until he cried. Not like the postman did though. Noah's were happy tears. He told me to get off the floor and stop being such a '_freak_', which is Noah's favourite word for me. He says I'm going to end up like Gran someday, talking to plants and making postmen cry. I really hope he's lying. Despite being my twin brother, Noah is the complete opposite of me. He is loud, attention-grabbing and confident in absolutely everything he does. And apparently, he isn't a freak, either.

"Should we wake Mum and Dad?" he asked as he began dressing himself across the room. He wore an obnoxiously bright orange t-shirt, stretching and admiring himself in the mirror. If anyone loves Noah, it is Noah himself.

"I don't know," I replied softly. "They might start fighting themselves. They always do when it comes to Gran."

"I suppose," Noah shrugged. "Can't let Gran start doing the robot dance with the garden gnomes though, now can we Ellie?"

I stared at the ceiling, wondering what was going through my grandmother's mind when she decided dancing on the lawn was an entirely appropriate thing to do. I guess she really has lost those imaginary marbles. I wish I knew a spell that could fix her. I bet Severus would know one. He knows all sorts of spells, and if he can't find the one he needs, he creates it himself. I admire him for that. I wish I could do that. But I'm dreadful at Potions. Last time I was in Potions class I blew up my cauldron and burnt an entire table. James Potter laughed at me and asked if I was _trying _to be so bad at the subject, which caused Lily Evans to throw a book at his head.

It was nice of her to stand up for me though. Noah was too busy laughing his head off to really care if what James had said had upset me or not. And then there was Sirius Black, who was far too concerned with wiping soot from his face to notice how flushed my cheeks had become. That's probably a good thing. He would have laughed at me like James had. Remus, however, patted my shoulder and said, "Better luck next time, eh Eleanor?"

Remus is the nicest of all the Marauders, apart from maybe Peter. I don't mean to encourage them by using that self-created nickname, because honestly I don't think James and Sirius could possibly be anymore in love with themselves if they tried, but it's the easiest way of letting people know exactly who you're talking about. When Severus helped mop up the mess left inside my cauldron, I thanked him at least four times, though he only nodded. Severus is very quiet and very shy, which is probably why we get on so well. Sometimes we can sit in silence for hours without it being awkward. He doesn't normally help people, so you can see why I was touched. Anyway, today is the day I go back to all that. The exploding cauldrons, Severus and Lily, and the Marauders. A half-naked, dancing Gran is nothing compared to the Marauders. I might not hang out with them, but this only means getting unwittingly caught up in their pranks.

Noah threw my robes at me. "Get out of bed Eleanor, come on! Do you want us to the miss the train? Why are you always daydreaming?"

Another reason I started this diary is to do exactly what Noah says. To get out of my head. To put everything that comes into my head into an old red book with a golden spine that I found beneath my bed and try to be more like Noah. To be outgoing and loud and popular. Because, if I'm honest, from the day we entered Hogwarts I'm known as 'Noah Wolf's twin sister'. So I get out of bed, I put on a nice dress and I venture downstairs to find my brother sitting at the kitchen table, wolfing down a bowl of cereal. Apparently, Gran's dancing frenzy has ended, because she is sitting beside him reading a newspaper upside down.

She spotted me and smiled gently. "Hello Elizabeth."

Noah snorted into his cereal, grinning. "Her name is Eleanor, Gran. Not Elizabeth. _Mum's _name is Elizabeth, remember?"

"Yes, Niall, I remember," she said breezily, and he rolls his eyes.

"Noah," he corrected. I don't know why he bothers. Gran sometimes forgets what her own name is. How can he expect her to remember his?

I sat in the seat beside my brother after I got myself a bowl and a glass for my breakfast. We ate in silence, like we usually did. Mum came bustling in, already dressed and looking quite beautiful. I might be my mother's only daughter, but sometimes I think she forgets I'm even here. She glanced at Noah, before she sighed. "Sit up _straight _Noah, are you trying to look like a bloody hunch-back?"

Noah imitates what I think is supposed to be a hunch-back, and Gran looks at him, bewildered. "My, Nathan, whatever are you doing?"

"_Noah_, Gran, it's _Noah_. Not Nathan."

She shrugged and went back to her upside-down newspaper.

"Fix your hair Noah. Have you ever heard of a hair-brush before?"

"I'm going for a bed-head look Mum, you wouldn't understand. It's fashionable these days."

"Fashionable to look like a hobo all the time?" Mum asks curtly, and Noah sticks his tongue out at her behind her back. I giggled and he flashed a smile at me. Dad arrives a few minutes later, giving both Noah and I a kiss on our foreheads before he apologizes and says he's late for work. I'm not even sure what he does, my dad. He never talks about it. Mum doesn't tell us anything either. He must work for the Ministry. He wears a suit. That must count for something. Noah burps loudly, and Mum glares darkly at him.

Noah and my Mum fight a lot. I hate it. I tend to hide out in our bedroom and put a pillow over my ears to block them out, but that never works. As if that weren't enough, my Mum and Dad like to fight about things too. Mainly my Gran. Dad says she should be put somewhere safe, like a home for old people. They share one of those Looks I was telling you about. It usually ends in Mum bursting into tears, which causes Dad to feel guilty, and they end up hugging and apologizing to one another. Gran is never put into that old folks' home Dad babbles about, and all is well again. Mum quickly gets us ready, forcing Noah to put our trunks in the car. Gran is made to come with us. Last year, Mum came to pick us up and left Gran at home. Gran ended up blowing up the microwave. Now she isn't allowed to be alone for more than a few minutes.

Gran thinks we go to a boarding school, Noah and I. Which, I suppose, is exactly what we do. She just doesn't know it's a magical type of boarding school. Hey, this diary could be like a guidebook for my fellow witches, couldn't it? _How to Survive Hogwarts, the Marauders and their awful pranks, being hopeless at Potions, having a twin that outshines you and a mentally unhinged Grandmother! _I bet books would fly off the shelves. Maybe then Mum would tell me to straighten up and fix my hair instead of just Noah. At the station, Mum has to let Noah and I go to Platform Nine and Three Quarters by ourselves. Firstly, she is a Muggle, and secondly, she cannot leave Gran alone in a car. If she can blow up a microwave, what else can she do?

"Look after your little sister Noah!" she calls out to us as we leave.

I don't know why she says that. He is just ten minutes older. In Noah's mind, he is the oldest twin and therefore rules everything. Our room was painted a sky blue colour, which is his favourite, whereas I wanted it red. Noah won. Though I don't really mind. Blue is nice too. "C'mon, _little sis,_" he teased as we dragged our trunks with us. "Or we'll miss the train and have to listen to Gran call us by our wrong names until we can find some other way to Hogwarts."

We board the train. We're probably the first people on it. Even so, Noah turns to me and says, "Right then, see you at the Sorting Ceremony Ellie." He walks off, taking his trunk with him. He enters a compartment six doors away from mine and shuts it behind him. I stare at it for a while, silently wishing he would sit with me for once. But Noah has his own friends. We might have shared a womb, but friends is where Noah draws the line. We can share anything but friends, because he likes to be the leader of his group. So I enter my own compartment and sit by the window, where I can stare out and watch the world whiz by once the train gets going.

I miss Noah, even if he is only a few compartments away from me. I can't dwell on it for too long though, because the door to my compartment swings open. Sirius Black enters, sees me and freezes in his spot, shifting his weight awkwardly for a second. "Mind if I sit here?"

I nodded, and he grinned, dragging his trunk in before he flopped into the seat across from me. He blew a piece of hair from his face and sighed happily. I imagine for a moment that I'm Noah. I want to lean back in my seat and ask how his summer was. All the while being totally cool and forgetting about my senile old Grandmother who cannot remember my name. But I say nothing. Instead, Sirius just keeps grinning at me.

"Eleanor, right?"

I nodded.

"Where's your brother?"

"He went to wait for his friends in another compartment."

"That's weird. Aren't twins supposed to stick together?"

"Only if they're Siamese," I shrugged. He stared at me for a moment before he cracked up laughing.

"I get it, stick together," he laughed.

Bewildered, I began laughing too, though I was a little uncertain. I hadn't intended to make a joke.

"Noah doesn't like to hang out with me at school all the time. I mean, we share pretty much everything. I think he just wants to be alone sometimes."

"I have a brother," Sirius said thoughtfully. Sirius is a very handsome guy. This was the most I had ever spoken to him. I already knew he had a brother. I knew his brother's name was Regulus and that they did not get on at all, but I said nothing. Noah said I think too much, that I notice things too much and that that is the making of a freak. Then again, my brother is a complete moron. I shouldn't really listen to what he says. "He's an idiot."

"I was just thinking the same thing about Noah."

"Why were you on the train so early anyway?"

I shrugged. "My mum couldn't stay too long. She had things to do."

Sirius peered at me for a moment. "Mine too." He sounded almost suspicious. "My Mum's a bit of a cow sometimes."

My mouth fell open a little, shocked at hearing someone speak about their mother like that. He took one look at my expression and laughed. Sirius's laugh was husky and loud, like a bark, yet it was beautiful too. I don't know why I felt so surprised by what he had said. Noah called our Mum things like that all the time. He used to get really mad and punch the wall when things got too heated. Mum says Noah has 'anger issues'. Noah says Mum is just a moody cow who doesn't know what she's talking about. My Mum might have flaws, but I still loved her. She's my mum, after all.

"What's your mother like?" Sirius asked. I had a feeling he was just trying to keep the conversation going.

"She's… different," I replied lamely, and he grinned.

"_Difficult_, you mean."

"Yeah," I said truthfully. "I do."

"I like your brother though. He's much better than mine. Yours is pretty good at Quidditch too, isn't he?"

"Not as good as me," a new voice interrupted. James Potter appeared, along with Remus Lupin and Peter Pettigrew trailing behind him. Heidi Roberts and Lisa Collins followed them, sitting in the corner by themselves and giggling to each other. They were best friends. I wished Lucy were here. Lucy might not be my best friend, but I liked to hang out with her. In fact, she sat with me for most of my classes. She didn't call me a freak like Noah did, so that was a plus. Lisa and Heidi kept glancing over at Sirius and bursting into uncontrollable giggles, blushing furiously when he winked at them. He enjoyed the attention, that much is obvious.

Out of the Marauders, Peter is the quietest. Even though Remus is in their group, I still think it's Peter. He sat beside me, and we talked about everything under the sun in pretty hushed tones; it isn't hard to keep a conversation with Peter. He is just plain _nice_. A little naïve at times. James and Sirius laugh and call him a twat whenever he accidentally gets something wrong – at which point his entire face turns a bright red, which causes Heidi and Lisa to collapse into more giggles – and forces Remus to kindly pat his shoulder like he did for me when I accidentally blew up my cauldron in potions.

Severus doesn't like the Marauders. He calls them bullies. It makes me wary of them, but I can't help but like them as I watch them messing around.

"This is the year boys," James grinned. Though he spoke to his fellow Marauders, I was intrigued.

Curiously, I asked, "The year for what?"

James smirked, apparently uncaring if he really knew me or not. "The year I get Lily, of course, my dear Ellen."

"Eleanor," Sirius corrected. "Her name is Eleanor."

"Woops. Sorry," James apologized.

"You insensitive prick," Sirius muttered.

"Coming from Sirius Black that really is an insult Prongs," Remus winked.

"Oi! I'm a perfect gentleman, aren't I, Eleanor?"

All four of them stared at me expectantly. Isn't it strange that before this point I had never even spoken to James or Sirius properly, and yet they were involving me in their conversation so readily? I swallowed, smiling. "Oh yes. A total sweetheart."

"You see!" Sirius grinned triumphantly.

"You must be delusional Ellie, wait 'til you get to know him better, he's a complete pig," James smirked, before Sirius punched him hard on the arm. They began play-fighting, while Peter watched on, clearly fascinated. Remus, like the mature boy he tried to be, rolled his eyes and pulled out a good book, ignoring them entirely. Heidi and Lisa shrieked when their fight grew more violent and they fell on the floor. The two boys were laughing, which made it okay in their eyes to punch each other and give each other bruises.

I was smiling. James had not only included me, he had called me _Ellie_. I love it when people do that. Eleanor sounds so formal and boring, especially when my Mum says it. I watched the rain for a while through the window. James and Sirius quit their fighting, instead beginning an animated conversation about a Quidditch tactic James had invented during the summer. I was almost disappointed when the train began to slow down. As we stood to get up, James grinned at me.

"Want me to save you a seat the Sorting Ceremony Ellie?"

If Noah could see me now, he'd think I'd have drugged James somehow. "Yes, please James."

"Sure," he said, shrugging nonchalantly. He didn't seem to notice my thrilled expression, or how I felt as if I were walking on cloud nine. Perhaps making friends really was as easy as Noah said it was. I need to stop writing now though. Lucy is trying to sleep in the bed beside me, and my constant scribbling is probably irritating her. I'll tell you about the Sorting Ceremony soon though, I promise.

_Love, _

_Eleanor. _


	2. Black Eyes

**A/N: **_Thank you for the kind reviews and alerts and everything! I really appreciate it! :)__  
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_- _Chapter One -

_**Black Eyes**_

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_2__nd__ September, 1976._

Sometimes I think Professor Dumbledore must be awfully lonely in his office every night, with just his thoughts for company. I mean, I don't think he has any family to talk to, though Professor McGonagall seems to be one of his closest friends. Both of my grandfathers had died before Noah and I were born, though I'd like to think that if I could choose a grandfather, it'd be Professor Dumbledore. I just can't imagine being so lonely. My Mum, Dad and Gran don't exactly hang around with me all the time at home because they are usually so busy, but that never bothered me because I always had Noah. We were sort of stuck with each other. But Dumbledore doesn't have a twin brother to rely on, as far as I know. Heck, I don't even know if he has any siblings at all. He's pretty old. My Gran said she had five brothers and two sisters, but now they're all dead, and she's the last one, which is quite sad when you think about it. James is an only child, as is Peter and Remus, but Sirius has a brother.

Which makes me think that it's even sadder to know that, despite having a brother, he still has no one to rely on at home. I think Sirius is much sadder inside than he lets on, too. He acts so confident and brave in front of everyone, and he didn't even flinch when Mulciber the Slytherin purposely bumped into him as hard as he could on our way to the Great Hall. It was only when Sirius saw his younger brother that I saw a kind of look in his eyes. Regulus walked with his Slytherin friends, who snickered when Mulciber hit Sirius. Severus was amongst the group that Regulus walked with. It looked like Regulus was the Leader, and he sent Sirius a smug smirk, holding his head high and striding with great purpose. Sirius's mouth was set in an angry snarl and he was clenching his fists. I imagined what it would be like if Noah and I had been split into different Houses, and what it would be like if we hated each other.

I knew why Sirius hated Severus, even if he didn't know himself. I think he hated Severus because he was everything Sirius's family wanted him to be. A proud Slytherin, with a talent for the Dark Arts. Sirius was neither of those things. He was a Gryffindor, who despised the Dark Arts and hated the Slytherins because they reminded him of what he was not. He was the black sheep of his family, and whenever he saw Severus or his little brother, he was reminded of this. Maybe that's why he bullies him. Plus James doesn't like Severus either, which is another reason to dislike him. As soon as James turned to tell us where we would be sitting, however, Sirius's angry snarl vanished and he focused his attentions on his friends instead. That is when he is truly happy. He puts on a giant grin and it looks like nothing can get him down. And it's the opposite effect on Regulus. Regulus sees Sirius looking so happy with his friends and looks extremely jealous. Even if Regulus is surrounded by a large crowd of supposed friends, I think he's really lonely. Like how I imagine Professor Dumbledore must feel in his office.

James did save me a seat though. In between himself and Remus, with Sirius and Peter sitting across from us. Throughout Dumbledore's entire speech, they made faces and imitated him perfectly. Noah grinned at me, giving me a thumbs up. Apparently my brother feels the need to point out his delight whenever I make any sort of human contact, especially one that can be considered as _friendship_. Sirius nudged me under the table with his foot, grinning at me when he got my attention. "So, Ellie, you must be feeling pretty lucky!"

"Why would she be feeling lucky?" Remus asked, his brows furrowing. It was only when he lifted his arm to scratch his head that I noticed a row of scratches on his collarbone. They were fresh and red and very raw. Remus has very shabby robes all the time, and he gets ill quite frequently. I guess those robes don't keep the cold out like mine do.

"_Because _Moony, she is sitting with the Marauders!" Sirius grinned triumphantly. "Few in the history of Hogwarts have been allowed such a privilege!"

"Mm. I wonder how I'm not positively bursting with excitement," I replied, raising an eyebrow and smiling at him.

James scowled. "I wish Lily would sit with us. She acts as if I've asked her to sit with a bunch of trolls or something."

Peter snorted. "That is exactly what it sounds like you're offering."

Remus spluttered with laughter. "He's right, sitting with trolls is the equivalent of sitting with you and Sirius, especially when you're both eating."

"What are you on about Moony, I've already told you we're perfect gentlemen! Nearly half the girls of Hogwarts would give their wands away just to sit with _me_," Sirius smirked.

"Why do you call him that?" I asked.

"Call him what?" James replied distractedly, craning his head to try and find Lily in the line of Gryffindors beside us.

"Call him Moony," I said.

"Oh, well, if you must know," Sirius began. Remus shot him a Look that seemed to be a warning, but Sirius completely ignored him. "When we were in our second year, we were hanging out in our room and Remus here just stood up and mooned us. Just stood up, turned around and pulled his pants down. Mooned us without any warning whatsoever. I still have nightmares about it."

"_What-_…" Remus exclaimed, but James hit him in his tummy. Remus glared at him, rubbing his stomach and sighing. "Yes, I did. But it was…an accident."

"You mooned them by accident? It seems a bit cruel to give him the nickname Moony then, doesn't it?" I frowned.

Sirius shrugged. "It's just to remind him to keep his pants on. Our Remus loves to go nude you see, always trying to take his clothes off around us-…"

Remus punched him on the arm. "Shut up, Padfoot."

"Padfoot? Why does Sirius have that nickname?" I asked.

"Merlin, Ellie, you ask a lot of questions," James laughed.

I shut my mouth then. You see, Diary, Noah tells me to stop asking so many questions because they make people _uncomfortable_. His words, not mine. The Marauders didn't seem too uncomfortable with my questions though. They only made jokes. I'm not sure if Remus really did moon the other Marauders like Sirius says he did, but then why else would they give him such a nickname? I just hope Remus doesn't try to flash his bum at me the next time I see him.

Remus was completely correct about Sirius and James being total trolls when it comes to food, by the way. As soon as the Sorting had ended, and the gorgeously mouth-watering food had appeared, they grabbed almost everything within an arm's reach. I watched – slightly horrified and weirdly fascinated, I must admit – as they swallowed their food whole, barely waiting to chew it first. "You eat like wolves," I said, wincing as Sirius viciously ripped into a chicken leg.

James slurped back his pumpkin juice, sloshing most of it on his robes. He scowled at the stain forming, before he glanced at me. "We just like to finish quickly. We have some things to do, you see."

"Oh really?" Remus smirked, raising a curious eyebrow at James.

"Yup," he grinned back, pulling a small bag from his pocket and placing it carefully on the table. Whatever was in it was wrapped in a pretty dark blue velvet bag with a golden string tying it together. Stupidly, I picked it up before I questioned what it was. "No Eleanor wait-…"

Too late for that. The bag exploded, causing the entire Great Hall to be filled with shrieks and yells as a loud _bang _rang through the air. I fell backwards onto my bottom, my eyes burning. A great cloud of smoke was billowing from the bag, which James was desperately trying to re-tie. Remus fell beside me, waving a hand in my face. I'm not sure if he was trying to get my attention or trying to wave the smoke away. He put a hand on my shoulder, and I felt as if we were in Potions all over again and my cauldron had just exploded in front of everyone.

"Oh Merlin, her eyes!" Sirius groaned, and he crawled beneath the table to reach us. "Eleanor, are you alright? Can you see us?"

Confused, I asked why I wouldn't be able to.

"Well, you see, your eyes are all blood-shot and you'll probably be bruised tomorrow. Prongs you tosser, why did you take that out _now _of all times? That was meant for the Slytherins later!" Sirius muttered, helping me stand up. I guess I was the victim of a prank gone wrong. Sometimes I wonder if there is a poltergeist that follows me around and creates these horribly embarrassing situations for me. I bet if there was, it would be Peeves. I bet he watched this entire thing with a bright smile on his face. Or maybe it was my stupidity. _Mental note – never pick up an unidentified bag that just came from James Potter's pocket. May result in having two black eyes._

Which is exactly what I have now. Not even one day back at Hogwarts, Diary, and already I'm bruised. Noah was quite angry when he first heard, wondering if James did it on purpose, but he saw the funny side eventually. Noah always does once his anger evaporates. Professor McGonagall didn't find it amusing in the slightest. James was dragged off by his ear, whining about how it wasn't his fault and how he had no clue how the bag even got there. Even Professor Dumbledore came to our table, putting a gentle hand on my shoulder like Remus did and asking if I were alright. Which is why I think he'd make such a fantastic grandfather. I bet he wouldn't dance in his nightie on our front lawn or make our postman cry like our Gran did.

Severus told me I was stupid for hanging around the Marauders, and that my two new shiny black eyes proved it. "Honestly, Eleanor" – Severus never calls me Ellie unless he feels like he needs to be particularly kind to me as he prefers my full name – "Can't you see that those bumbling fools can only cause harm? Look at your eyes, they're all bruised as if you have been punched by that exploding bag. They could have blinded you." My Gran has a blind friend whose name is Lillian, and whenever she comes over she always has her guide-dog with her. I love that dog. If the Marauders had blinded me, I'd have to ask Lillian if I could borrow her dog. Severus fails to look at the bright side.

Lily was just as stern as Severus. "Eleanor, I think it would be best if you avoided Potter and Black from now on. I mean, you sat with them for the first time and it resulted in you being seriously injured."

But I didn't avoid them. I sat with them in Potions. Lily had tutted and frowned about it, but I had just made _four _new friends that I didn't plan to lose any time soon. I admire James for his dedication to Lily. He speaks so highly of her. If Lily were to say that the sky was purple, I don't think James would disagree. I'd like to have someone love me as much as James loves Lily, because he seems to think the world revolves around her. He listens to everything she says as if it is the most important thing he has ever heard, even if she is insulting him. He even offered to carry her books for her, but she scoffed at him and left him standing alone outside the classroom.

During Potions, while my potion was turning a sickly green when it was supposed to be a bright, bubbling pink, I asked, "Are you okay, James?"

He seemed surprised I had even asked. "Sure I am Ellie, why wouldn't I be?"

"Because you looked sad when Lily walked away earlier."

He winked and grinned. "Ah, it just takes _time _Eleanor my dear! Once Lily comes to her senses, she will realize we are meant to be together! It's as easy as that."

Remus snickered from his spot at the table in front of us with Sirius beside him. "In another life, perhaps."

Sirius laughed his bark-like laugh. "Make that another five lives."

James rolled his eyes. "Lily is simply forgetting what a wonderful, kind and insightful guy I am."

Peter snorted, stirring his lilac-coloured potion which looked far better than mine. "That must mean we're all forgetting that too Prongs."

"Shut it, Wormtail."

"Why do you call him Wormtail?"

James sighed, grabbing a horned slug and flinging it in my cauldron. "Stir it some more, Eleanor, it should turn pink now."

"Oh, thank you James!" I smiled. Perhaps Lily really was forgetting what a nice guy James could be.

"No problem. You need all the help you can get," he grinned. "Wormy here is the same."

"Hey! I'm not that bad!"

"I should find myself a nickname," I murmured thoughtfully, once again thanking James as my potion turned a vivid pink. For once, Professor Slughorn didn't shake his head sadly at me over my useless concoctions. He knew I was hopeless with his class. "Though I'm not sure I want to be known as _Wormtail."_

Peter smiled kindly . "I'm sure we'll think of something for you."

I know both Lily and Severus think they are bad influences, but I really like them. I haven't laughed this much in a very long time. James stirred his potion, which was now bubbling perfectly. "You already have a nickname. It's _Ellie_."

"But that isn't as good as yours. Ellie sounds…boring."

"I think Ellie is a nice name," Sirius grinned.

I hid my small blush quite well, I think. In fact, Sirius asked if I would like to sit next to him in Divination tomorrow, seeing as Peter has dropped it. I told him I'd love to. Apparently Peter only ever got horrible, dreadful predictions and was quite fed up of it. Sirius and I both do Muggle Studies, too, which means a double class of Divination with him and then double Muggle Studies. And now Lucy is wondering why I'm smiling so much as I write this down, meaning I'm going to have to stop here before she discovers exactly why I'm so happy. I'll write again tomorrow night!

_Love, _

_Eleanor. _


	3. The Warning

_- _Chapter Two -

**The Warning**

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_6__th__ September, 1976._

Severus has been acting very strange towards me lately. We sat in the library today, listening to Madam Pince berate a young first year who had misplaced a book. She reminded me of a vulture swooping on its prey. I don't like Madam Pince. She once told me off for a full twenty minutes because I accidentally knocked two books from their shelf. Severus, ever since our second year, agreed to help me with my Potions work, seeing as he is so good at it and I am so dreadful. Usually, he is calm and patient, helping me fix my errors and helping me to understand where I went wrong exactly. Last year, I told him he would make a very good Potions teacher when he's older, and he flushed with pride, though he tried very hard to hide it. I think he still remembers that. Or at least, I hope he does, because Severus needs all the praise he can get with the dad he has.

"Cross that out! _No, _Eleanor, you don't add bat-wing there, that would totally ruin the potion, weren't you listening in class at all?"

Slightly hurt, I replied, "Yes, I was, Severus. I just mixed it up-…"

"Too busy laughing at Sirius Black, I suppose," he snapped, leaning back in his seat and giving me a dark look.

"What's that supposed to mean?" I asked, frowning. Severus never snapped at me before, especially not over someone like Sirius.

"Did you not notice your budding friendships with James Potter and his fellow idiots?"

"They're not idiots-…"

"Oh don't make me laugh Eleanor," he sighed.

"Severus, what the bloody hell is _wrong _with you?"

He looked at me slowly, his eyes softening. "I'm sorry, Eleanor. You know I don't like James Potter. Or Sirius Black, for that matter."

"Well, you might not like them, but I'm free to be friends with whoever I like," I replied snippily.

He must have known he crossed a line, for he apologised again. "Just be careful, Eleanor."

"Why?"

"They're not as wonderful as they make themselves out to be."

"But you've never even hung out with them, Severus. Or given them a chance!"

"Trust me, Eleanor. I am saying this not because I hate James Potter – which I do with a _passion_, but because I think of you as my friend. I would hate to see Sirius Black" – he said Sirius's name with a sneer – "corrupting another poor, innocent soul. You are very trusting, Eleanor. Sometimes naively so. Just be careful."

Then he picked up his books, said he'd see me later and left.

* * *

_7__th__ September, 1976._

"You shouldn't have brought me any chocolate Eleanor, you didn't have to."

Remus is ill again. When he lifted his hand to take the chocolate bar from me, he was shaking. He is pale and his eyes are always slightly watery. Madam Pomfrey allowed me to visit him so long as I came alone, which was fine by me. I never understood why Madam Pomfrey likes her job so much. I don't think I'd like to be around people knowing they are suffering from horrible maladies and injuries. Maybe healing them makes her happy. Remus certainly looks like he could do with a little happiness right now.

"I wanted to bring you it," I replied, and he smiled.

"Well that was very kind of you."

We sat in silence for a moment, while I watched him and thought of Severus. _Be careful_. Of what, exactly? Remus was hardly a violent guy. He wouldn't hurt a fly, I was sure of that much. In fact I had never even heard him raise his voice. The same went for Peter. We played chess a lot, and he liked the same books I did. James could put up a fight when he wanted to, but he would never hit a girl or his friends or anything like that. He reminded me of my brother. Then there was Sirius, and I felt the same went for him as it did for James. But the bullying worried me. Remus and Peter never took part in it, but I couldn't turn a blind eye to James and Sirius picking on Severus.

Then again, he tended to tattle on them and follow them around to check they weren't up to something. He used to do it all the time in our second year, when it just stopped suddenly and he refused to say anymore about it. I still catch him though, whether he knows it or not.

"What are you thinking about Ellie?" Remus asked.

As rude as it sounds to say, I had forgotten he was even here. Funny, huh? The whole reason I was here was for him, and yet I was so absorbed in my thoughts I had lost sight of that. "Oh, it's nothing. Just something Severus said earlier."

Remus smiled tiredly, leaning back against his pillows. "I suspected as much."

"Really?" I asked, surprised. "How?"

"He doesn't like us Eleanor. It doesn't take a genius to figure that one out."

"He just doesn't know you."

"Oh he knows us alright," Remus chuckled . "Better than you think Eleanor. But sometimes, some people just aren't meant to get along."

Remus has a wise head on young shoulders. That's what my Gran used to say. Before she was dancing on lawns and stuff. I always liked her weird sayings. He closed his weary eyes, and I noticed a large bruise on his collarbone, along with more scratches. "What happened to you anyway, Moony?"

He smiled when I called him Moony. "I just wasn't feeling well and-…"

"No, you're all scratched," I murmured, leaning forward and pointing at them.

"Oh, these," he said, unsurprised. "I had been mucking about with James and Peter before, it got a little out of hand."

"At least you didn't moon them or anything."

His cheeks flushed pink, and he quickly avoided my gaze. I smiled, amused. Whether Sirius was telling the truth about Remus mooning them or not, I don't know, but Remus got embarrassed very easily. "Don't worry about Severus, Eleanor. I'm sure he'll be okay."

"Thanks, Remus. Do you think he hates James so much just because of Lily? Surely it can't be her alone that makes them so spiteful."

"James doesn't like Slytherins, Ellie," Remus sighed softly. "He never has. He's set in his ways. In fact, Prongs is the most stubborn boy I've ever met. I don't think he'll ever give up on Lily."

"I think it's sweet."

"I think it's borderline stalking," Remus smirked, and I giggled, imagining Lily taking out a restraining order on James Potter. Or simply hexing him, like she usually does. Though Severus's warning still niggles at the back of my mind.

_Love, _

_Eleanor. _


	4. The Dreadful Divination Lesson

- Chapter Three –

_**The Dreadful Divination Lesson**_

* * *

_10__th__ September, 1976._

"Well, this smudge here looks a bit like a penguin to me," I murmured, peering curiously at the black shape. "But if I turn it this way, it looks like a smiley-face. So that means you will be attacked by a penguin, but you'll be really happy about it, Sirius."

Sirius snorted with laughter and took the bowl of tea leaves from me, grinning. "Gee, thanks Eleanor, I'll keep that prediction in mind next time I visit the zoo and see a bunch of angry penguins waddling towards me."

"If I were you I'd avoid zoos altogether," I laughed, abandoning my useless attempt at reading tea leaves to decipher the future, which always seems too be filled with depressing and ominous predictions.

When she was not busy predicting doom and death, Professor Trelawney reminded me of my dear old Gran. Both had a tendency to stare off into space midway through a conversation and both had a dangerous habit of bumping into furniture on a regular basis. Today was no different. She drifted dreamily around the room, her hands raised in front of her as if she were trying to find her way through the dark, a mystified look on her face. Sirius sat beside me, scowling and slumped in his chair. He rolled his eyes as Professor Trelawney gasped and clutched my bowl of tea leaves dramatically.

"My dear boy, you are in grave danger!"

Sirius sighed. "I've been in _grave danger _ever since the day of my bloody birth, you crazy bat," he muttered beneath his breath. I held a hand over my mouth and tried to cover my laugh as a cough, since I didn't think Professor Trelawney would appreciate me laughing at her useless predictions. She gripped her shawl tightly, swaying back and forth. I wonder if she know she's insane. I always wondered how she didn't notice, but then again maybe the fumes from her burning incense sticks and candles blocked her mind a little. Either that or she really is just off her rocker.

"What's in the bowl, Professor?"

I glanced at my brother, who was lounging like a King on his little cushion, watching with bored eyes. Noah and Sirius got along quite well, which was very good, and he gave me a small smile. My brother seems to be so impressed by my new-found friendship-making skills that he feels the need to encourage me. In fact, just last night after dinner, he cornered me on my way out of the Great Hall and told me to keep acting cool around the Marauders because this was my 'one-shot at actually becoming something other than a freak'. I love my brother. He means well. He's just a bit of a twat is all.

"I see a werewolf!"

The class instantly hushed. You could hear a pin drop. Sirius sat up slightly, looking a little shaken.

"My dear, you must be careful! I see a lot of pain in your future, and disorder! You must beware!"

And then, he did something entirely surprising. He stood up suddenly, knocking my bowl to the ground. "What a load of rubbish," he growled, storming off. We watched him in awe. Sirius has never walked out of a class before. Sure, he's skipped them, but never just left half-way through. I watched Professor Trelawney's bewildered eyes settle on the door for a few moments, before she turned slowly to look at me.

"You must watch him, Eleanor. He is in deep trouble. A werewolf is never a good sign to find in your tea leaves. Sirius Black is going to be hurt if he does not heed my warning."

She drifted away again, seemingly forgetting about Sirius's impending doom as if it had never been predicted. Well. All I had predicted was penguins, so you can only imagine how baffled I felt.

* * *

Lily was very quiet at dinner later that day. I shuffled into the seat beside her, glancing around in an attempt to find Sirius. I could see Remus and Peter, sitting beside one another at the opposite end of the table. I don't think they knew about what had happened with Sirius. Yes, everyone was whispering about it, but I think they mustn't know just yet. I saw my brother, using his wand to imitate being a unicorn. He was even neighing loudly and stomping his 'hooves' on the ground. Despite being twins, I'm quite sure I took all of the brains when we were conceived. In fact, I'm almost positive I did.

I nudged Lily, and she smiled at me. "Hello Eleanor. How are you?"

I shrugged. "I'm more concerned about you."

"You always are," she giggled, smiling. Lily has a lovely smile. It makes you smile, too, even if you're not sure what you're smiling about.

"Are you going to tell me what has you so upset?"

"How do you notice such small things Eleanor?"

I shrugged again. "I don't know. I guess I'm not as loud as Noah. I'm the quiet one. And when you're silent for a while, you tend to see a lot of things. And I can see that you're unhappy."

She sighed. "It's Severus."

I glanced over at the Slytherin table. He wasn't there. Both Sirius and Severus were missing today, along with James. "What about him?"

"He seems so…_distant_. Whenever I try to speak with him, he's surrounded by his 'friends'. I don't like them. Has he seemed odd to you, Ellie?"

"Yes. In the library he warned me about the Marauders."

She laughed softly. "I can't blame him for that."

"They aren't that bad."

"You always see the best in people Eleanor. If the Devil himself appeared in front of us, you'd probably find a reason to like him. You're just a nice person."

"Naïve person," I corrected. "Severus says I'm naïve."

Lily's eyes softened as she smiled again. "I am glad that you're making friends Eleanor. I never thought I'd see the day where you'd hang out with Sirius Black, though."

"Severus hates Sirius. I'm starting to worry that if I hang out with them, he'll start to hate me, too."

"Don't be silly, Eleanor. Severus is just a very complicated guy. He hates Sirius for a reason. Sirius is a _bully_."

I didn't answer her. We continued chatting about our worries for Severus, and when I had finished, I offered to walk back to Gryffindor Tower with Lily, but she wanted to stay a little while longer in the Great Hall. I decided to go for a walk, all by myself, and think about Severus for a while. As I walked through the grounds, without an aim, I thought about his friends. I didn't like any of them either. They were into Dark Arts. James hated them for this. Rumours went around the school that most of their parents were Death-Eaters.

Death-Eaters. With a name like that, I doubt you'd be inviting them around for tea anytime soon.

"Snivellus, where are you going?"

I jumped in surprise, turning a corner to find James and Sirius standing in front of Severus. They had their backs to me, which allowed me to sneak a little closer. Severus caught my eye, but he didn't say anything. He wanted me to see this. I knew it just by his gaze.

"I don't think that is any of your business, Black."

"He's acting brave," James observed. "That's a change."

"You would know nothing of bravery, Potter," Severus snapped, a look of utter loathing on his face. "You are the one who pretends to be something he is not."

"Oh yeah? How so, Snivellus? Enlighten me," James grinned. I didn't like Sirius and James's grins.

"You are a coward, Potter."

"Shut up," Sirius growled, clearly defensive of his friend. James waved him off, allowing Severus to continue.

"You bully and torment people. Like I said, you're a coward. I bet Lily thinks so too."

"That's it," James snarled. I watched as Sirius shoved Severus into the wall, and James pulled up his sleeves. I didn't know if he was going to grab his wand or just punch Severus, because I stepped forward.

"Sirius!"

They all froze at once. Severus, though he knew I was there, had been looking very pale and shaken when Sirius had grabbed him. When he heard me, a big grin broke out on his face as he stared into Sirius's eyes. Sirius let go of him. Severus rubbed his chest where he had been grabbed, but that didn't stop him looking quite happy that I had witnessed this. I felt sick. I knew they were doing this to Severus, but I had never thought it was so bad. That makes me just as awful as they were for not stopping them in the first place. Even if I wasn't friends with them, I should have done something.

"Eleanor, this-…" Sirius began, taking a cautious step towards me with his hands raised in defence.

"Shut up!" I barked, and he actually jumped in surprise. I have never raised my voice before. The grin on Severus's face vanished, replaced with shock. I don't think anyone other than Lily has defended him before. James's cheeks were flushed pink as he avoided my eyes. "What the Hell do you think you are doing, Sirius? _James_?"

"You don't understand," James started.

"Don't understand?" I repeated furiously, clenching my fists and storming up to them. Sirius looked utterly bewildered by me._ I _was bewildered by me. I've never gotten that mad before, and I'm almost slightly embarrassed now. I felt like punching one of them. I wasn't even this angry when my Gran accidentally set my favourite teddy on fire when I was six. Or when my dad missed Noah and I's eighth birthday because he was working. And then our ninth. And our tenth. "You're both bullies."

Sirius looked hurt. "Eleanor, Snivellus-…"

"Don't call him that! His name is _Severus_. _Not _Snivellus. You disgust me, Sirius," I growled, taking Severus by his arm and pulling him with me. Sirius called out to me, but I didn't look back at him. I don't know what I'm going to do tomorrow. My first class is Divination, in which I sit with him. Why couldn't Professor Trelawney tell me about this, instead of babbling about werewolves and bumping into furniture all the time?


	5. The Strange Black Dog

**A/N: **_I apologize for my incredibly late update. I didn't have internet for a while, so I wrote this very quickly while I got it back. I hope you like it :) I'm quite sure that within the next chapter, or maybe the one after that, I'll be writing in the scene where Snape calls Lily a 'mudblood'…it might go a little differently with Eleanor in it, but hey, who knows.. ;D_

* * *

- Chapter Four –

_**The Strange Black Dog**_

* * *

_12th September, 1976._

Gran once told me, as she sat in her favourite armchair watching the Queen making a speech on the television, that boys are very strange creatures. Why she chose to talk about this subject during the Queen's speech, I do not know. Then again, my Gran talks to the refrigerator quite often, so I'm not entirely sure I should listen to her when it comes to her advice on the male mind. I've never spoken to my Mum about boys, or my Dad for that matter. I think I would die of embarrassment if I was ever forced to ask my Dad for that kind of advice. I know that, when I first began this little guidebook for witches, I thought I would have the answers to everything. But I don't. I'm just Ellie Wolf, a teenage witch with your typical magical problems. And so who do I turn to in my moment of need?

Well, I've been told I am intelligent many times in my young life, and now I have reason to believe that those kind people who told me so were lying. Because I turned to Noah. Of all the people in my incredibly odd life – I could have asked Lily, or Lucy. Merlin, I could have asked those two giggling girls Heidi Roberts and Lisa Collins from the train for help – I just had to look to my brother for help. I had to approach him while he was with his friends in the Common Room. Sirius was sitting by the fire, fiddling with his wand and chatting amicably to Remus, who clearly looked as if he were annoyed. It was obvious Remus wanted to study and catch up on all he had missed while he was in the hospital ward, but Sirius wouldn't let up. Speaking of studying, fifth year really is a nightmare for it. It feels as if Professor Trelawney is our teacher for every single class because they are all filled with warnings and premonitions about how awful our O. will be if we don't study hard enough.

I avoided Sirius's gaze. Divination had been horrible this morning. I tried to stare at my crystal ball and pretend he wasn't sitting right beside me, whispering my name every few moments, trying to grab my attention. Noah had his arm slung around a pretty blonde-haired girl whose name I couldn't recall, grinning at his best friend Alex Wright. I know we're twins, but sometimes I forget this when I look at my brother. Sure, we have the same brown hair, brown eyes and lightly tanned skin like our dad, but there are smaller things about Noah that remind me of our relationship.

Ours eyes look almost black in certain lights, they are so dark. The little freckle that is beneath my left eye, whereas he has one just under his right eye. Noah has a little scar on his lip too, from when he was five and slipped off the toy broomstick my Dad bought him. He had bitten down on his lip when he fell, so hard that he left a mark that is still there to this day. We have similar birth marks. I have one that looks like a bunny on my inner thigh, and so does Noah. Trust me, my Mother used to delight in showing our relatives when we were new-borns. It still makes me squirm with embarrassment to know that for some insane reason, my mother is intensely proud that we share similar bunny-shaped birth-marks. My family is so strange.

"Noah?" I called.

His chocolate brown eyes met mine, and he smiled with surprise. There was a slight message beneath that smile (call it twin-telepathy if you like) that told me he was saying '_We don't share friends Eleanor, what are you doing?_'. "Hello Ellie. What are you doing here?"

"I…Can we talk, Noah?"

The girl he was with sent me daggers, clearly displeased I was taking my brother away from her. Noah considered me for a moment, probably deciding if I was worth the bother of leaving his friends. He nodded and smiled, letting go of the girl. "Alright El, let's go outside for a while. I'll see you in a while guys!"

Noah, as we walked out to the grassy area to sit down, put his arm around my shoulder like he had done with that other girl. He cocked his head up proudly, striding with great purpose. "So my little sister, what is bothering you? Let me guess, it involves Sirius Black and his three little friends?"

I looked at him in surprise. "How did you know?"

"Oh, I'm much more observant than you give me credit for, Eleanor," he murmured, tapping the side of his head and winking. "Plus, Alex mentioned you had been sitting alone at breakfast this morning."

"That makes _Alex _observant, not you, you idiot," I giggled.

He rolled his eyes. "Forget who noticed what first, young Eleanor. I am far more interested in _why _you lot aren't friends anymore. You were doing so well! Making friends. Talking to people. Actual, real life people."

"Noah," I frowned. "I did have friends before them. Lucy and Lily are my friends."

"Oh yeah. I forgot about them." When we got close to a grassy, almost deserted area of the grounds near the Forbidden Forest, Noah sat down and lay on his back, putting his arm over his eyes to block the sun. I copied his position. "How is Lucy? Remember I went out with her in our Second Year?"

"How could I forget? She hates you now," I murmured.

He snorted. "She doesn't _really _hate me, El. She _thinks _she does, but I bet you a thousand Galleons she'd happily jump into my arms if I ever asked her out again."

"I might just take you up on that."

"Mum says I look just like dad did when he was younger. Hey, do you think that means you look like him too, since we're twins?"

I thumped him hard on the arm, and he sat up, yelping. "I do _not _look like a man, you twat!"

"Alright, alright Miss Touchy, don't get your knickers in a twist. Ouch, for such a small girl you sure have a lot of strength you know."

"Noah, I need your help," I said after a few moments of silence.

He sighed. "I knew this day would come. You poor thing, needing my infinite knowledge and experience. Well, go ahead Eleanor. I, with all my wisdom, will do my best to help you."

"Sirius has been bullying Severus."

Noah laughed. "Wow, what a shocker. Never knew that before."

"I'm serious Noah. The bullying isn't just name calling, like how they call him Snivellus. I saw them pushing him around. I think that they would have really hurt him if I hadn't caught them."

Noah considered this for a while. "Well…Boys are always beating each other up Eleanor, are you sure it was really that bad?"

"Yes."

"Hm. And this is why you are ignoring Sirius and his friends?"

"Yes."

"Would you like me to beat up Sirius?"

I laughed. "What would that do? The violence is what I'm trying to _end_, Noah, not start."

"I just thought if I beat him up, then he would see how painful and pointless it is. Therefore, he will not bully Severus anymore and they can hold hands and skip through the flowery meadows and live happily ever after."

"Not helping, Noah."

"I'm trying!" he protested. "I'm not a _girl_, I'm not good with all this emotional stuff! When I'm mad at Alex, I just punch him on the arm and that's it. We're friends again."

"I wish it could be that easy."

I opened my eyes when Noah poked me in my side. He was grinning at me.

"So…I'm not allowed to beat up Sirius Black?" he asked, wriggling his eyebrows at me and flexing his muscles. I rolled my eyes, laughing.

"Not yet. I might let you do it some other time, though." I smiled happily. I always liked hanging out with my brother. He could always put me in a good mood. Even when he was talking about beating someone up. Suddenly, Noah whistled, standing up and taking a few steps forward. I sat up on the grass, my eyes momentarily blinded by the bright sun. When I finally adjusted, I followed Noah's gaze and saw a black dog at the edge of the woods. It looked far bigger than any of the dogs I had seen on our neighbourhood, that's for sure. It was watching Noah and I carefully, raising one paw as if it were about to make a wild dash at us.

Noah whistled again. "Here boy! Come here, come on!"

The dog cocked its head to the left, apparently confused by my idiotic brother who was now flapping his arms to try and convince the dog to come over to us.

"Aw, why won't he come over?"

"Because even a dog is incredibly put-off by your stupidity, Noah."

"Your words wound me, Eleanor. Mum would never let us have a bloody dog," Noah scowled. "I always wanted one. Hey, d'you reckon we should give him a name?"

"A name?" I repeated, highly amused.

"Yeah, you know, like Rex or Rover or something."

"He looks like a Snuffles to me," I muttered. "You remember Gran said that she had a dog named Snuffles when she was younger?"

"Snuffles?" Noah smiled, glancing at me. "That's a good one, Eleanor."

"Gee, thanks."

The dog barked loudly, making me jump in surprise. Noah sighed contently, outstretching his hand for me to take. He pulled me up to my feet and waved at the dog. "See ya Snuffles! My sister has some problems with boys that she needs to sort out!"

I hit Noah on his arm again, glancing around me, my cheeks burning. "Shut up Noah! There are still people around!"

"Who cares? You think the dog is going to tell anyone about your problems with Sirius Black? Don't be stupid Eleanor."

"Whatever. I still don't know what I'm going to do," I said as we began walking back to the Common Room.

"Why don't you make Sirius apologize?"

"Apologize?"

"Yes. You know, say sorry, beg for forgiveness, send Snape a bouquet of pretty flowers to show his tremendous guilt and make it up to him. Invite him out to a romantic, candle-lit dinner or something."

I giggled, imagining Sirius and Severus ever sitting at the same table, enjoying a meal together. That was an image I didn't want to forget. "I suppose I could try that, you know. I don't think Severus would accept it though."

"Well, even if he doesn't, you tried your best Eleanor. It isn't up to you to solve everyone's problems. Even if Snape doesn't immediately fall madly in love with Sirius all because of a bloody apology, you can still be friends with Sirius and the others. Boy, you must really miss your little boyfriend."

"Sirius is not my boyfriend!"

"Whatever," Noah shrugged. "This has been fun Eleanor. I should share my infinite wisdom with you more often."


	6. The Fight

**A/N:** _I am so so so sorry for the late update, but it's been kind of hectic :) We're back to school and that took up a lot of time so I didn't have any time to write, really sorry :) Thank you for your patience, and reviews and etc :) _

* * *

_- Chapter Five - _

_**The Fight**_

* * *

_13__th__ September, 1976._

Everything has gone horribly, horribly wrong. I think I should move to a cave far away in the mountains where no one will ever find me, and where the name Eleanor Wolf will mean nothing, with only wild mountain goats to keep me company. Severus won't even look at me. In fact, he can barely stand to be in the same room as me, and why do you think that is? Well, I'll give you a few clues, shall I? He has black unruly hair, a handsome smile and acts like a complete prat all of the time. Yes, you guessed it – Sirius Black. I suppose I should start with the very beginning of my day. I innocently lay in the grass where I had sat with Noah yesterday, relaxing and minding my own business, unaware of the horrors that were to come. I was hoping to see that black dog again, but he never turned up. Like Noah said, we were never allowed to have dogs as kids. I wanted one so badly. Instead of a dog, I got Sirius Black.

"Um, hello, Eleanor."

I groaned inwardly. At least he hadn't brought the other Marauders. "What do you want, Sirius?"

I heard him sit in the grass beside me. "To say I'm sorry."

"It isn't me you should be apologising to," I murmured, sitting up. It was quite sunny out, surprisingly. It was a Saturday, meaning we had no classes, but we have so much studying to do. No doubt Remus would be hidden beneath stacks and stacks of books when I went back to the Common Room. "Noah thinks I should make you apologise to Severus-…"

"_No_. No way Eleanor. I will never apologise to him, not in a million years. I would rather ask Filch out on a date than that," he growled firmly.

I rolled my eyes. "Before you profess your undying love for Filch, let me just say that I'm not going to ask you to apologise. I know why you bully Severus."

"Oh yeah? Enlighten me, oh wise and all-seeing Eleanor Wolf."

"Well, he's everything your family want you to be, Sirius. He likes the Dark Arts, he's in Slytherin, and he believes in all that pure-blood rubbish. James hating him makes you hate him even more, too."

He was biting hard on his lower lip, his eyes filled with something similar to hurt. Maybe he was just surprised someone had noticed. Or maybe he was surprised someone took the time to actually think about why he didn't like Severus. "So?" he asked, his voice cracking. "Even if he is what my parents would want, why should I care?"

"Exactly, you shouldn't care. Because I like you a lot more Sirius."

He perked up, apparently forgetting about his parents in an instant. "You do?"

I nodded. "Severus is my friend. I like him because he can be kind when he wants to be, people just don't see it very often. But you, you're so loyal and kind to your friends. They mean everything to you. You're funny, too, and you would die for James, Peter and Remus. I know you would. And you've been nicer to me than most people have in a long time. Everyone has a bad side. You with your bullying and Severus with the Dark Arts, but I still want to be your friend."

Sirius was momentarily speechless. He fiddled with the blades of grass beneath him, avoiding my eyes. He suddenly remembered that he was Sirius Black, a proud Marauder, because he grinned and said cockily, "I knew you couldn't stay mad at me forever, Ellie. No one can resist my dashing good looks or my charm."

"Don't push your luck Black," I grinned, shoving his arm playfully.

"Ouch," he grimaced, but he was just pretending because he was smiling. I felt butterflies in my tummy, which felt pretty strange. Sirius had that effect on me. Even when he said my name or simply looked at me, my tummy would feel like it was about to explode with all the butterflies fluttering around inside. "You know, for such a quiet girl you sure hold a grudge. You have quite the temper, too. Remus didn't think you'd ever talk to me again, which is why I came out here in the first place."

"Well, I thought about ignoring you forever. It would make our Divination, Muggle Studies and Transfiguration classes awkward, but I'm a very stubborn girl. I just don't want you to bully Severus."

"Fine, I'll try my best not to."

"_Try_?" I asked, exasperated.

He looked at me curiously, tilting his head slightly to the left like he was trying to figure something out. "You're so strange, Eleanor."

"So I've been told."

We smiled at each other, and the butterflies woke again, fluttering like crazy. I loved that feeling, of just sitting in the warm sun with Sirius right beside me. Then, the horrible thing I mentioned earlier happened.

"Friends again, are you?" a voice sneered.

Severus stood behind us, glaring darkly at me. Sirius clenched his fists, making a clear effort not to say anything. I met his gaze and told him silently not to make a sound. "Severus, we-…"

"You've forgiven him already, Eleanor. That didn't take long, did it? I should have known. Only I thought you were much smarter than to fall for the charms of Sirius Black and his idiotic friends."

That did it. Sirius is as fierce as a lion when it comes to his friends. He stood up, storming to Severus who had been standing right behind us. I saw Severus's bravery waver. He took a small step back, the colour in his cheeks fading. Sirius's eyes had grown very dark and dangerous. I had always heard he had a terrible temper, and I knew the rumours were true just looking at him. I stood up, quickly rushing towards them. A few students who had been walking past stopped to stare in shock at the two boys, eyes wide. Sirius pulled out his wand in a flash, aiming it directly at Severus's neck, practically poking his pale skin.

"Say that again, I dare you," he growled furiously.

"You see what I told you about him was true Eleanor," Severus murmured quietly, not taking his eyes off the wand.

"What did you say about me then, Snivellus? Spreading lies as per usual, jealous as always."

"Jealous? Of you and that moron James Potter?" Severus smirked darkly.

"What did you say about me to Ellie?" Sirius hissed.

"Look at that, he's already calling you by your nickname. What a cute couple. If you must know, I warned her that you were _dangerous_. You and your friends. James, Peter…Remus." He whispered Remus's name, and Sirius's eyes widened like he had been slapped. He narrowed his eyes, gripping his wand tightly.

"Sirius, stop it," I hissed, pushing him away from Severus. "Both of you are acting like children!"

Sirius didn't look away once from Severus's eyes. It was like they were having a silent battle. Sirius let me push him a few steps back, standing between them. Severus switched his gaze to me.

"Eleanor, don't be foolish. They don't want to be your friend-…"

"You don't know anything about me, Snivellus!" Sirius barked.

Severus glared at him. I had never seen so much hate in someone's eyes. "I know you are a blood-traitor, hated by your own family. You're a bully and a fool, just like that disgusting excuse for a wizard James Potter, and if Eleanor is too stupid to realize that-…"

Severus didn't get to say another word. Instead of hexing him, like Sirius usually did, he pushed past me and punched Severus as hard as he could. The students around us gasped, and I felt like the air had been knocked out of me. This couldn't be the same Sirius – the sweet, kind Sirius - who had been joking with me just five minutes ago. I heard a sickening crunch as Severus fell on his back, Sirius sitting on top of him as he kept punching him. My tummy twisted into a painful knot and my mouth went dry. Sirius was like a rabid animal.

"Sirius, stop!" I yelled, and he froze with one hand still clenched in the air, ready to hit Severus.

Severus was smiling. Though there was blood dripping from his broken nose and his split lip, he focused his bruised eyes on me and _smiled_. "I told you," he whispered weakly.

Sirius seemed to be in a daze. His chest was rising and falling as he took deep breaths, trying to calm himself. His knuckles were all bruised, his wand lying forgotten beside him. He didn't want to look at me. When he did, he looked ashamed of himself. The happy butterflies had vanished from my tummy, replaced with a knot of worry and fear. It wasn't until I heard a shrill, "Sirius Black! What on Earth have you done?" drifting through the air that I realized we were surrounded by a crowd of other students who had witnessed the entire thing.

Professor McGonagall was racing towards us, looking positively alarmed. Sirius stood up, putting his wand away and keeping his eyes firmly on the ground. Professor McGonagall helped Severus to his feet, putting an arm around his shoulder. She called for Alex Bubbart, a Slytherin student, to come and help her. "Take him to the hospital wing immediately. Black, Wolf, my office, _now_. The both of you. Hurry up, come on."

I must say, Professor McGonagall can be extremely intimidating when you sit in her office in front of her large desk with only an awkward, uncomfortable silence filling the room. Sirius's bruised hands were hanging limply in his lap, while I fiddled nervously with my tie. I had never been in trouble before. Noah had been in here a million times, but I wasn't my brother.

"Can you explain why you were viciously attacking Severus Snape, Mr Black?"

He didn't meet her eyes, glaring at the floor. She switched her gaze to me, and I froze like a deer caught in the headlights.

"What about you, Eleanor? Can you explain why Sirius was beating Severus senseless?"

"Um, well…uh…"

"Please try and use proper words, Eleanor."

Before I could form a coherent sentence in my head, Sirius raised his head and looked right into Professor McGonagall's eyes. "He spoke badly about me, my family, my friends and Eleanor, Professor. I lost my temper. I don't even know what I was thinking, but I'm sorry. I really am sorry."

She peered at him quizzically from behind her glasses, clearly surprised by his emotionless tone. He seemed so sad that I glanced at him in worry. He didn't look back. It was almost like he forgot I was here. "One month of detention, Mr Black. Go back to your Common Room immediately. I'm taking fifty House points, too. Don't let this happen again," Professor McGonagall murmured firmly, switching her gaze between us.

When we had finished with Professor McGonagall, we stood alone together in the halls.

"Sirius-…" I began.

"I'm sorry, Eleanor. I'm sorry you saw that and I'm sorry that I hit him. I was just so mad. He made fun of you and James, and I lost it. If you don't want to be friends with me anymore, I understand."

I bit on my tongue as I thought about his words. I took a deep breath. "I still want to be your friend Sirius. You can't get rid of me that easily."

He smiled at me gratefully, his eyes lighting up. I feel a bit torn about my decision. If it had been anyone else to hurt Severus, to fight with him like that, I don't think I would have forgiven them. The things Severus had said had stung, badly. I don't understand why he said such awful things. I worry about how much he loves the Dark Arts. I know Lily does, too. Severus isn't the same boy I became friends with in first year. He's changing, and I don't think I like it. Is it wrong of me to still be friends with Sirius? Should I have left him standing alone in that hallway? I don't think so. In fact, I'm glad we're still friends. Seeing Severus in the Great Hall on Monday is going to be a right pain, too.

Being a teenage girl is the most confusing thing in the world.

_Love, _

_Eleanor._


End file.
